


Prologue: Young and Ignorant

by littleknightowl



Series: Clouds & Waves [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aomine Daiki Being an Idiot, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24436759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleknightowl/pseuds/littleknightowl
Summary: Kise and Aomine's epic middle school "not" love story
Relationships: Aomine Daiki/Kise Ryouta
Series: Clouds & Waves [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1487573
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Prologue: Young and Ignorant

**Author's Note:**

> Time flies no matter what. For anyone who's waited it out, thank you for your patience. I am working on act II of this story, but for now, here's a prologue chronicling the two idiots' failures and mishaps with maybe a bit of fluff on the side. Feel free to leave a comment. I'll get to them this time around. Pinky swear!  
> P.S. sorry for any typos that I know must be there. I got excited and didn't edit as much as I usually do. Enjoy!

“I want to break up.”

He blinks in surprise, pushing his growing panic as far down as it’ll go. “Okay.”

  
  


A few days pass before Akashi makes the official announcement that Kuroko quit the basketball team. After their brief meeting, everyone goes their separate ways. No one bothers to practice anymore. Winning came as easily as breathing. They are the Generation of Miracles. Victory is not a hope as much as it is an assurance. A guarantee. Easy. 

And that’s how life continues on for Aomine for the next month. That is, until a certain blonde shows up at his doorstep, drenched from the storm raging not too far from where they stand. He raises an eyebrow at the soaked teen in front of him, crossing his arms and looking at the other questioningly. 

The blonde rolls his eyes and pushes his way inside. Aomine shrugs his shoulders and closes the door. He watches the shorter boy take his shoes off and head to the bathroom. Without saying a word, Aomine fetches a spare t-shirt and sweats and leaves them at the closed bathroom door. He walks to the kitchen and turns on the kettle to prepare tea.

Aomine sits at the kitchen table, his hands wrapped around a warm cup of chai tea, another cup placed across from where he sits. He much rather be drinking chamomile, but he knows the other boy prefers chai tea.

“It’s the closest I can get to coffee.”

“Why don’t you just drink coffee?”

“Do you have any coffee?”

“No, I don’t drink coffee.”

“Then tea it is.”

He drums his fingers on the wood of the table as he takes a sip of his drink. He’s getting impatient, wanting to know why the blonde was out in the storm and how he ended up at his house. It’s Saturday evening, around 17:30, but you wouldn’t know, with how dark and low the clouds hang in the sky. Aomine is home alone, his parents going out on their bimonthly date night. They started the tradition when Aomine was 12, old enough for them to feel confident that their brat of son wouldn't destroy the house for the few hours they were gone. 

“Is that what I think is?” The blonde walks out in Aomine’s borrowed clothes with a towel around his neck, a few water droplets dripping down onto the cloth. The boy plops down into the chair opposite Aomine and inhales the tea before taking a sip. “So warm,” he hums in delight.

Aomine lays his head on his arms and looks up at his companion. “Kise.”

The blonde takes another large sip before making eye contact with the other boy. 

“Not that I’m complaining, but why are you here?”

Kise breaks eye contact and his gaze flutters around the kitchen as he collects his thoughts. Finally, they land once again on Aomine. “You broke up with Kurokocchi.”

It isn’t as if he didn’t expect for this to come up eventually, but he didn’t think he’d be having this conversation with Kise first, of all people. Satsuki has hinted at it a few times, but Aomine refuses to talk before he is ready. “More like he broke up with me, but either way, broken up.”

He lets that sink in as Kise twirls his now empty cup around in his hands as he contemplates the information. “But you didn’t object?” 

Aomine sighs and finishes the last of his tea. “Why did you decide now, of all times, to come over?”

Kise frowns slightly at his friend’s evasion, but answers nonetheless. “Wasn’t planning on it. Was in the area when the rain started.”

Short and curt and giving nothing away. Aomine hates when Kise is like this, hesitant, calculating, toned down and overall not his usual bubbly self. He noticed this other side of the blonde last year, a few months into their friendship. It was the day Aomine had called Kise out of his classroom, claiming he was needed in the teachers’ lounge. Ten minutes into their escape, a teacher found them sneaking onto the roof and sent them back to class. 

After practice, the first string went out for ice cream. Aomine felt Kise’s eyes on him the whole time. He waited for the blonde to speak up, but he never did. However, he did catch Kise wince slightly when the bluenette threw an arm around Kuroko. No one else seemed to notice, but Aomine remembered that he found it odd. 

“Yo, model-kun. What’s with the face?” Aomine asked loudly as he swung his other arm around Kise.

“My face is my face, I don’t see a problem with it,” Kise huffed, his thin lips falling into his usual pout.

His response seemed to placate his teammates, but upon closer look, Aomine noticed how his lips didn’t puff out as far, his usual animated face not as telling. Aomine wasn’t used to this side of Kise, and it was annoying that he couldn’t read him as easily as he thought. 

“Aw, is the princess in a bad mood?” The bluenette pushed further. 

Kise smiled and pulled away from Aomine. “Why is it that whenever I get in trouble, it’s because I’m with you?”

Aomine clasped his hands behind his back and sped up to match Kise’s stride. “You speak as if I’m not the best part of your day.”

Kise rolled his eyes and slowed his pace slightly. “Arrogant,” he muttered under his breath.

Aomine halted, dropped his arms at his side and frowned. “But really, what’s with you?”

The shorter teen turned around in time to see the other boy skip back over to Kuroko and steal a bite of his ice cream. 

“Wanna watch a movie, I guess?” Aomine offers.

“Not in the mood.”

“Okay.”

They sit in silence, listening to the rain. It’s now much lighter, only a few pitter patters every now and again. 

“Would you like more tea?”

Kise doesn’t answer, just stares down at his empty cup of tea.

Aomine grunts in frustration. The blonde is really trying his patience today.

He suddenly stands up, causing the chair to almost tip over. “I better get going. Thanks for the tea.”

Aomine follows him to the front door. “You’re welcome,” he grumbles.

“I’ll see you Monday!” Kise smiles and the gloomy evening brightens ever so slightly. However, it’s nothing in comparison to his usual smiles that blind every living creature within a ten mile radius. 

“Sure.” Aomine watches as Kise walks down the short driveway, onto the sidewalk and eventually around the corner towards the station. 

He sighs and closes the door. He walks upstairs to his room, plopping down on his bed and pulling up Satsuki’s contact in his phone. 

Daiki [18:17]

_ yo _

Satsuki [18:17]

_ Dai-chan!  _

Daiki [18:18]

_ talk to kise lately _

Satsuki [18:19]

_ 10min helping mom and dad clean the dishes _

Aomine drops his phone on the bed next to him and closes his eyes. Fifteen minutes later and a ping jerks him from his dozing.

Satsuki [18:34]

_ no i haven’t why what’s up? _

Daiki [18:35]

_ he showed up at my door drenched from the rain an hour ago _

Daiki [18:35]

_ used my shower borrowed my clothes drank my tea and left _

Two minutes pass, and Aomine watches the three little dots appear and disappear a few times before the girl responds. 

Satsuki [18:37]

_ that’s odd did he say anything? _

Daiki [18:37]

_ just that he was in the area _

Satsuki [18:38]

_ haven’t talked to him this week but i remember him saying he had a shoot in our area coming up must have been today _

Satsuki [18:39]

_ he didn’t mention anything else?? _

Satsuki [18:39]

_ just left???? _

Daiki [18:40]

_ yes _

Satsuki [18:40]

_ that doesn’t sound like him _

Daiki [18:41]

_ i know that’s why im asking you _

Satsuki [18:42]

_ Dai-chan you must be missing something _

Aomine hesitates when he reads the last message. He chews on his bottom lip before typing out a response.

Daiki [18:44]

_ he did ask about my break up with tetsu  _

There’s another break in their conversation as Momoi types out a response.

Satsuki [18:47]

_ ohhhh _

_ ohh Dai-chan _

_ what did you say?????????? _

Satsuki [18:47]

_ when exactly did you two break up????? _

_ why did you break up????? _

_ you haven’t told me anything _

Satsuki [18:47]

_ ohhh Dai-chan _

_ tell me pleassssseeeeee _

Daiki [18:48]

_ fuck chill i didn’t tell him anything _

Momoi goes radio silence again. Aomine waits a few minutes, but there’s no response, so he continues. 

Daiki [18:53]

_ he assumed that i broke things off and i told him it was kuroko who broke up with me and then he asked or more like stated that i didn’t try to fight him _

Aomine grows more agitated when Momoi still doesn’t reply. Just as he’s about to lock his phone, the three little dots pop back up.

Satsuki [18:59]

_ but you did right? object _

Daiki [19:00]

_ no why was i supposed to  _

Satsuki [19:01]

_ I mean . . . _

Daiki [19:01]

_ Testsu wanted to break up _

_ I guess he wasnt happy _

_ if he wasnt happy then thats that _

Satsuki [19:03]

_ are you okay? _

Daiki [19:04]

_ I mean it was a shock at first _

_ I thought everything was fine but i wasnt gonna push it  _

_ it’s been a month since he left _

_ there’s nothing anyone can do about it now _

Satsuki [19:05]

_ ohhh Dai-chan you’re such an idiot _

Daiki [19:05]

_ wat _

Satsuki [19:06]

_ I can’t believe you just let Kuroko-kun go _

Daiki [17:06]

_ what else was i supposed to do _

Satsuki [17:07]

_ and kise . . . _

Daiki [17:08]

_ Kise what _

Satsuki [17:09]

_ if you can’t figure it out by monday talk to him and i mean really really talk to him _

Daiki [17:10]

_ that doesn’t help at all _

Satsuki [17:10]

_ figure it out _

Daiki [17:11]

_ Satsuki _

Daiki [17:12]

_ helloooooo _

Daiki [17:14]

_ Oi satsuki  _

“Damn it,” Aomine curses under his breath as he throws his phone to the end of the bed. He rolls over onto his stomach, pushing his face into his sheets, his arms at his sides. He lays like that for a few moments before rolling back over and staring at the ceiling.

“Fuck this. If she’s not gonna tell me, then oh well. How should I know what that idiot wants?”

Aomine gets up and walks back downstairs. He fills the kettle with more water and turns on the stove. Then he opens the fridge and pulls out leftovers from the night before. Shoving a nice helping onto a plate and heating it up in the microwave, Aomine sits at the table and waits.

  
  


When Monday comes around, Aomine is not looking forward to seeing the blonde. But Kise is back to his usual self. Cocky, confident and expressive. However, he was thoroughly avoiding Aomine. 

_ Fine by me. I don’t want to talk to you anyway. _

Monday turned into Tuesday and then the next day and the next day until it’s Friday. Another boring week of sleeping during class and skipping practice. Aomine yawns as he walks through the school gate.

“Hey!”

Aomine keeps walking.

“Aominecchi! Wait up!”

The bluenette halts at the sound of Kise running towards him. He watches in amusement as the model runs dramatically in between students, weaving his way through the crowd.

Kise skids to a halt a mere meter away. “‘Sup.”

“Yo.”

“Wanna get food?”

“Sure.”

And it is from that point that something shifts between them. They fall into a routine. They go through the whole week not talking and, if they don’t have a match, hang out after school on Fridays. If anyone noticed these strange behaviors, they didn’t say anything. 

Three weeks into this arrangement, they start staying over at each other's houses, extending their time together to the next day. They never did much of anything, most of the time eating, playing video games and walking around shopping districts looking for nothing in particular. And there were two unsaid rules during these hang outs, no mentioning Kuroko or playing basketball. As long as these two rules were not breached, the two teens enjoyed their time spent together.

It isn’t until two months into this unspoken arrangement that there’s another shift. It is another one of their typical Friday nights. This time, they’re over at Kise’s. No one is home, his two sisters already moved out and his parents on one of their frequent international trips. Bored and wanting to change their normal routine, they break into Kise’s parent’s liquor cabinet.

“Have you ever had alcohol before?” the blonde asks.

“Yeah, but only a beer, once, at a family gathering. You?”

“A few a sips of wine at dinner.”

“Well, what should we try first?”

“Vodka?”

“Sounds like a safe bet.”

“Should we mix it with something?”

“Sure, what do you have?”

“Orange juice?”

“Model-kun, I believe we have a screwdriver right there,” Aomine smirks. 

Kise giggles as he pulls out two glasses and fills them with orange juice, leaving room for a generous shot of vodka. Three drinks in each and the vodka bottle half empty, and they are on the edge of tipsy and drunk. 

They have moved their two man party upstairs to Kise’s bedroom and are currently laying on his bed, Kise’s feet on Aomine’s chest as he tilts his head back just so to peer out the window. 

“Aominecchi!”

Aomine grunts, and Kise can feel the rise and fall of his chest that comes along with the sound. 

“Aominecchi!”

“What, Kise? Do you have to squeal so much?”

“Rub my feet.”

“Fuck no.”

The smaller boy sticks a foot in Aomine’s face and wiggles his toes.

The bluenette immediately smacks the foot away. 

“Please!” The blonde wines, this time shoving both feet in the teen’s face.

Aomine nips at a toe.

Another high pitched squeal escapes the blonde as he withdraws his feet and shoots up, wobbling slightly from the effort. “Mo, Aominecchi,” Kise whines. “Do you even know how tiring it is to be me?”

Aomine snorts. “Enlighten me.”

“Doing shoots and being a basketball star and a student. It’s all so so so tiring.” 

“Yes must be terrible being a pretty boy,” Aomine says as he sits up, leaning his back against the headboard. 

“Not just any pretty boy, me, the pretty boy.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say model-kun. Now shut up and come here.” 

Kise yelps in surprise as two tan arms wrap around his waist and lifts him onto the other teen’s lap. All of the sudden, he is very aware of their distance, or lack thereof, as he straddles Aomine’s lap, his feet pressing against the headboard. “Aominecchi?” Kise tilts his head in question.

“Shut up. I’m not touching your gross feet, but I’ll give your legs a message.” Aomine turns slightly, lifts Kise’s left leg and starts messaging his calf.

Kise automatically leans back on his elbows, giving Aomine easier access. Neither one mentions their closeness nor points out that Kise does not, by any means, need to be sitting on Aomine’s lap. Actually, it’d be easier if Kise just laid down, but neither of them attempts to move or readjust, just living in the moment. 

Kise hums in satisfaction and closes his eyes. He doesn’t open them when he feels a light kiss pressed to his calf. Doesn’t move when a hand trails up his thigh, over his hip, to his stomach. The touch is light, barely there as it moves across his abdomen and then down his other leg. 

Aomine starts messaging his right calf, eventually repeating each action, except now both hands are brushing against the blonde’s stomach, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. They slowly lift the shirt up, just enough to allow a hand to slip underneath the fabric.

Kise opens his eyes and find’s Aomine’s. They stare at each other, the tan teen not halting his movements. His hand travels up until he skims over a nipple, and Kise’s breath hitches.

They freeze at the same time, both shocked at these new developments. A beat passes and then Aomine is on top of the blonde, Kise sitting up to meet the other’s lips. It’s rough and sloppy and intoxicating. 

Without realizing it, they’ve been skirting around this moment for the past three months, Kuroko always a prevalent thought in each of their minds, but never voiced. And Kise allows himself to be washed away by Aomine’s wild current for the first time since meeting the boy almost a year and half ago. Because Aomine is the ocean, and Kise’s been denying himself the taste of salty waters. 

They make quick work of their shirts, thrown to the floor, forgotten for the next morning. It isn’t until Aomine is working on Kise’s belt buckle that the model pauses. He gently places a hand atop the other teen’s, eyes the color of dripping honey meeting beautiful oceans. 

“Aominecchi.”

Aomine starts to withdraw his hand, but Kise catches his wrist. 

“It’s okay. But I want you to know, I’ve never done this before, with anyone.”

He lets go of the bluenette’s wrist, and the other boy sits back on his heels.

“It’s okay. I trust you.”

“Kise.” 

Kise can see the other’s hesitation, and he sits up, bringing his hands to cup Aomine’s cheeks. “Aominecchi. I want this. I want you. I want you to be my first.”

Aomine looks away, chewing on his bottom lip. 

Kise brushes his thumb over those enticing lips. “But only if you want to.”

They lock gazes, Aomine an open book. Raw, vulnerable and completely lost. The blonde pulls away and chuckles halfheartedly. Warning bells go off in Aomine’s head, the fog hovering over him from the alcohol, dispersing. He watches as the boy in front of him curls into himself.

“Sorry,” Kise mumbles. He looks away, but he can’t help the slight shudder of his shoulders. 

_ What’s happening? This isn’t Kise. He isn’t fragile. Why is he breaking? _

A wave of emotions sweep over Aomine. He feels a deep need to protect. He doesn’t completely understand what he is witnessing, but he does know that Kise needs him. And so he reaches forward and pulls the blonde into his arms. He holds the teen close, kissing the top of his head, the sensation of silky locks sending a shock wave through him. 

“Kise, please don’t cry.”

Aomine feels hot breath on his neck as the boy in his arms exhales suddenly. 

“I want you too. . . I think.” The bluenette shakes his head. “No, no, I do. I know I do. I’ve wanted you for a long time, but didn’t know. . . still don’t know. . . Kise, please be okay.”

Kise stirs in the teen’s arms as he raises a hand to his eyes to wipe away the few stray tears that manage to slither down his face. He takes a shuddering breath before pulling away. 

When he looks at Aomine, he’s smiling. “I’m sorry Aominecchi. I’m okay. I promise.”

Aomine eyes the smile, deeming it good enough for the situation. “Kise, I’m an idiot.”

That got a laugh out of the blonde, and he sniffles one last time. He rolls his eyes and his smile brightens, a little. “Obviously. Everyone knows that.”

Aomine lets out a light laugh. “Yeah.”

Kise crawls out of his arms and slides off the bed. “You can stay in here for the night.”

“Kise,” Aomine says as he follows the model’s movements.

He turns and looks at Aomine and smiles. Another smile that doesn’t completely reach his eyes. He grabs a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. “I’ll sleep in my sister’s room.”

“Kise.”

The blonde pauses at the door to look at Aomine, but the teen can’t come up with anything to say. Another small smile stretches across his face. “Good night, Aominecchi.”

  
  


The next morning, Kise sees Aomine out, neither of them saying a word. A week goes by, and it’s Friday. They spend the night apart. Another week passes with neither one making contact. Another week, until a full month goes by with both teens making minimal contact, only seeing each other if the occasion requires. 

It’s another Friday night, and Aomine is in his room, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. He turns on his side, and something green flashes in his vision. He thinks back to the time when he and Kise decided to go to an arcade, change things up a bit. After hours of playing mindless games, Kise managed to drag Aomine over to  _ Dance Dance Revolution _ . 

“Oh hell no.”

“Come on, Aominecchi, I played all the games you wanted to play.”

“I don’t dance.” Aomine scowled.

“So? Neither do I. It’ll be fun!”

Kise slotted in their coins, and the screen lit up. He chose the easiest level and possibly the easiest song on the list. The screen flashed with the word start, and the music played. Aomine huffed and moved the bare minimum, opting to look at Kise as the blonde jumped to the rhythm. 

Of course, Kise won.

“You won, whoo hoo, let’s go.”

“One more!”

“No.”

“Please.”

“You’re just gonna copy those moves too.”

“Come on, Aominecchi. I chose an easy one to start. Let me challenge myself.”

“Fine, but I’m not playing. I’ll watch.”

“Ohhh, wanna watch do ya?” Kise wriggled his eyebrows, a charming smile stretched across his face.

Aomine rolled his eyes. “Just choose your song so you can show off.”

Kise beamed as he searched through the song list. He ended up dancing through three more songs, topping his high score each time. At that point, he was only competing against himself. When he decided he had enough, he spotted Aomine sitting on the couch behind him with a weird look in his eyes. 

“That was fun. Now what?”

“Go home.”

“No way, we need a souvignier.”

“And why is that?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“Because I said so.”

Aomine eyed the blonde, unimpressed. “Yes, because that’s gonna get me.”

Kise just laughed him off and dragged him over to the claw machine. “Watch me work my wonders.”

It took him a few tries, but when Kise wanted something, he would find a way to get it. Ten minutes later, and he was squeezing an ugly green alien plushie to his chest. Aomine couldn’t help but laugh.

“See, you’re jealous. You want one too.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

Kise pouted. “I’m gonna win you one.”

“Kise, it’s getting late.”

“I don’t care. You’re taking one home too.”

Twenty minutes later and they were walking down the sidewalk with matching plushies. 

“See, I told you it wouldn’t take long. Even got you a matching one.”

Aomine sighed. “We look like weirdos, two teenage boys walking around with matching plushies.”

“Don’t you dare throw that away, Aomine Daiki.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would never.”

Kise seemed satisfied with his answer and skipped ahead. That was the second time Aomine caught himself smiling that day. 

Summer rolls around, and the first Friday of break Aomine receives a message. Short and curt and giving nothing away.

Idiot Model-kun [17:30]

_ one on one _

Aomine doesn’t even have to think, his thumbs flying across his phone.

Daiki [17:31]

_ be there in 20 _

Neither have played seriously in months, but there’s something about this scrimmage that pushes them to their limits. Aomine wins. They play another game. Aomine wins again. They play another. Aomine wins that one too. Kise never asks for another, but they keep going until they both give out. 

They walk to Kise’s house in silence. Aomine showers first, borrowing the blonde’s clothes. Then Kise showers. They pull food out from the fridge. Aomine turns on the stove to make tea, and Kise heats their meals up in the microwave. 

They watch a movie in the living room as they eat their food. Kise’s parents are out of town again, leaving the house to the young boys. His parents never said anything about the missing alcohol, and Kise never touched it again.

When they finish eating, they dump their dishes in the sink, leaving the clean up for tomorrow. They turn off the movie without watching the end and go upstairs to Kise’s room.

Without realizing how they got there, they are in each other’s arms. There’s a beat of silence where no one moves, all the air in the room trapped in their lungs as their hearts work overtime. 

Then everything happens at once, both exhaling simultaneously, while Aomine lifts Kise, the blonde wrapping his legs around the teen’s waist and their lips crashing together. 

This time there’s no hesitation. No doubt.

Of course it’s basketball that connects them. It’s silly that they thought alcohol could be the driving force that brings them together. 

Aomine carries Kise to the bed, both managing to maneuver out of their tops. The blonde feels himself falling until his body meets the soft mattress below. He isn’t afraid of falling, not when he’s with Aomine. There’s a sense of belonging. This feels right.

Aomine slides between Kise’s legs, runs his hands up powerful thighs, over a toned stomach and chest, all the way up to the blonde’s face. They gaze into each other’s eyes, devouring what they can get from blown pupils and hooded eyes.

They look past eyes, into the head to the brain, following the electrical synapses to the surface of the skin where hands brush and lips linger. And they simply melt with pleasure and something left unsaid. 

After that night, they go back to their usual routine. Sometimes meeting up during the week, but never missing a Friday night. They go through the same actions of eating, playing video games and walking aimlessly through shopping districts. The only thing that changes is the occasional hook up whenever Kise’s parents are out of town. 

They never have another one-on-one. Don’t realize that that will be their last until many years into the future as two different people, but never strangers. Their arrangement continues when school starts back up, continues over winter break, all the way until two weeks before graduation. 

“What did you say?”

They’re wandering around a shopping district in an area they’ve never visited. It’s reaching evening, and they are trying to decide if they should pick up something to go when Kise slips. 

“Nothing,” the model says too quickly. He’s wearing his ridiculously large sunglasses even with the fading light, preventing Aomine anyway of reading his face. 

“Come on blondie, spit it out.”

Kise decides to go for it. “I said, I hope we still get to see each other over the weekend once we’re in high school.”

Aomine snorts, “Impossible.”

Kise pouts, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’re going to be adjusting to high school and our studies and I guess practice, if we decide to show up. And you still have your modeling.”

“Well, yeah, but you know I’ll always make time for you.”

“Don’t push yourself, model-kun,” Aomine says as he ruffles the blonde’s hair.

Kise’s pout turns into a frown. “I’m not, but you’re important to me. And I  _ want _ to make time for you.”

Aomine shrugs. “Whatever you say, but no promises.”

Kise stops, and Aomine turns around to look at him questioningly. 

“What?”

“What am I to you?”

Aomine crosses his arms. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said.”

“You’re my friend.”

“Friend,” Kise says in a flat voice. He continues walking.

“So, do you want to pick some food up?”

The blonde doesn’t answer, not slowing his pace until they make it to the station.

“I guess that’s a no to food,” Aomine says, his irritation seeping through. Ever since they started sleeping together, it’s become increasingly harder for the bluenette to interpret the other’s mood swings. 

They ride the train in silence. When they reach the station that connects to Kise’s line, they both step forward, but Kise gently lays a hand on Aomine’s forearm.

“We’re gonna miss our stop.”

“Go home.”

“What?” Before he can react, Kise jumps off the train, the doors sliding shut. 

It’s finally Monday, and Aomine stomps down the school hallways to Kise’s classroom. He slams the door open and is met with surprised stares. 

“Kise,” he growls. 

Kise calmly stands up and follows Aomine. They make their way to the roof. Once away from prying eyes, Aomine turns to face his what,  _ friend, teammate, fuck buddy _ ? He shakes his head of these thoughts and stares Kise down. 

“Why the fuck wouldn’t you answer my messages.”

“Sorry, was busy,” Kise responds with a blank expression, his usual animated features stripped of all feeling. 

“You couldn’t shoot me a text telling me that?” Aomine asks in exasperation. 

Kise crosses his arms. “You’re the one who said no hard feelings if we don’t have time for each other.”

“Fuck, Kise, you know what I meant.”

“No, I don’t think I did.”

“I meant seeing each other every Friday night.”

“That’s not how it sounded to me.”

“Fuck, why are you being so stubborn all of the sudden?” 

“I’ve always been stubborn. Mind if I sit?” Kise walks over to the wall of the roof and sits down with his back against concrete.

Aomine looks at him with disbelief. He walks over to the blonde and sits down heavily across from him. “Read between the lines, Kise. I know you’re not an idiot.”

“Could have fooled me. What’s my name in your phone again? Let me think,” he taps his index finger to his chin in fake contemplation. “Oh, right.  _ Idiot  _ model-kun.”

Aomine runs a hand through his hair and huffs. “I can change the damn name if it bothers you so much. You never seemed to care before.”

“I don’t. This is me making a point.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Read between the lines. Oh, wait, you can’t.” Kise drops his arm and sits up a bit straighter. “Because you’re denser than a fucking encyclopidia.” 

Aomine takes a deep breath. “Okay, yes, I’m not good at reading people. But I always thought that I could read you, if only a little.”

“Well apparently not.”

The bluenette deflates a bit. “Come on Kise.”

“Do you even remember what you said during our last conversation?”

“Yeah, I said that it might be impossible to see each other every week.”

“Right, and then what did you say?”

Aomine blinks. “I don’t know. I thought that was the point of the conversation.”

Kise balls his hands into fists and releases them. “If only you could hear yourself. I then asked you, what am I to you. And you said, a friend.”

Aomine shrugs his shoulders. “And?”

The blonde lets out a shuddering breath. “Okay, how ‘bout this, what even is our relationship?”

“I dunno. I guess. . . friends with benefits?” 

Kise just about shrieks in frustration and stands up. He leans over the wall and looks down at the campus below. “That’s not what it was for me,” he whispers.

“Kise?” Aomine says and stands up behind him.

Kise chuckles and turns around. He reaches up to capture a strand of hair between his thumb and index finger, playing with it for a brief moment before letting go and looking at the big beautiful idiot standing in front of him. “These past, what, six, seven, eight, who even remembers when this even started?”

“Kise,” Aomine says again as he hesitantly steps forward, the first time either of them have hesitated since their first night together. 

“Daiki, I love you.”

Aomine’s eyes widen in shock. “I. . . I. . . I don’t know what to do.”

Kise smiles sadly. “It’s okay. I won’t break. I promised you that I would be okay.”

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
